"War and Anti-War Films" often acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting or conflict (against nations or humankind) provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. Typical elements in the action-oriented war plots include POW camp experiences and escapes, submarine warfare, espionage, personal heroism, "war is hell" brutalities, air dogfights, tough trench/infantry experiences, or male-bonding buddy adventures during wartime. Themes explored in war films include combat, survivor and escape stories, tales of gallant sacrifice and struggle, studies of the futility and inhumanity of battle, the effects of war on society, and intelligent and profound explorations of the moral and human issues.
Listed below are all the very best of this genre. Scroll yer heart out....
8.1/10
AKA 'My Name is Ivan'. Tarkovsky's debut feature was awarded 15 international prizes and is the haunting tale of a young boy caught up in the horrors... Read more
6.5/10
In Nazi-occupied Poland during World War Ii, poor Jewish cafe owner Jakob Heym (Robin Williams) accidentally overhears a forbidden radio news bulletin... Read more
7/10
When Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) followed family tradition into the Marines he wasn't counting on the 1991 Gulf War. Trained as a sniper with... Read more
7.1/10
The legendary suave and sexy action man of 60s French cinema, here is a collection of three of Jean-Paul Belmondo's greatest roles. "Moderato Cantabil... Read more
5.7/10
A high-flying Cold War drama with American Air Force colonel John Wayne charged with looking after defecting Soviet pilot Janet Leigh. The pair fall i... Read more
7.9/10
Screenwriter/novelist Dalton Trumbo wrote his pacifist novel "Johnny Got His Gun" in 1939, and after being blacklisted in the 1950s (he was one of the... Read more
8/10
A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his s... Read more
8/10
A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his s... Read more
7.3/10
A poignant and realistic drama, set after the Americans left war-torn Saigon, depicting a side of the Vietnam War seldom seen - the affect on the Viet... Read more
6.6/10
Led by young officer Stanhope, whose mental health is rapidly disintegrating, a group of British soldiers await their fate in an Aisne dugout during t... Read more